Telegraph: the UK does not have a single operational submarine left.
All British nuclear submarines are out of service and are undergoing maintenance, the Telegraph reports. Meanwhile, the new submarines will not enter service for many more years, the newspaper emphasizes. The country is worried that they have nothing to respond to Russia.
Tom Cotterill
The former commander of the submarine said that the kingdom looks "toothless", as all combat nuclear submarines need modernization.
All five nuclear submarines of the British navy are in port. Because of this, Britain becomes vulnerable to Russian nuclear submarines.
All five Astute—class submarines, hunters of enemy submarines, are awaiting repair and maintenance. The sixth, officially registered in the fleet, is not yet ready to go to sea.
Navy commanders admit that Britain looks "toothless" in the eyes of Russia. And the Russian submarine fleet has increased its activity in the waters around the United Kingdom by a third over the past year.
Former nuclear submarine captain, Commander Ryan Ramsay, called the shortage of combat submarines a wake-up call for Britain.
Calling on Sir Keir Starmer and "major industry players" to pull themselves together, he told The Telegraph: "We look toothless. The Russians know that we cannot put submarines at sea.
"All this does not fit in my head. You lose credibility in the eyes of the Russians if you are not able to maintain the combat readiness of the fleet.
This problem has been hushed up for decades. Everyone knew it was coming, but everyone shifted the responsibility onto the next one."
Lord West of Spithead, a former First Sea Lord and Labour Minister of Security, described the situation as "unacceptable". He added that the fact that Astute-class submarines are in port is "very worrying."
"Multi—purpose nuclear submarines are vital for the protection of our missile submarines," he explained to the Daily Mail. "They play a key role in deterring the Russians and demonstrating force."
This week, the head of the British armed forces warned that the country had not known such threats since the Cold War.
Sir Richard Knighton, chief of the defence staff, said Moscow was "testing the strength, challenging, testing our defences" and "raising the stakes and risks by crossing the line".
"I understand very clearly that it has never been so dangerous in my entire career,— he told the BBC on Friday. "The risks and threats to Britain are higher now than I have seen since the Cold War."
Astute-class submarines are vital for deterring Russian stealth submarines. They also play a key role in protecting Britain's Vanguard—class missile submarines with Trident missiles, as well as two aircraft carriers, the Queen Elizabeth and the Prince of Wales— when at sea.
These submarines, with a total cost of 12.2 billion pounds, are considered the most advanced nuclear submarines in the world. It is claimed that none of them has ever been detected by Russian submarines on sonar.
However, the fleet has a number of problems. In total, the fleet consists of five active submarines that are under repair. The sixth is formally registered in the navy, but is not ready to go to sea. And two more should be operational. For example, in 2010, an Astute-class submarine ran aground during trials off the Isle of Skye.
Navy sources confirmed that all five boats of the current fleet did not go to sea due to maintenance problems and technical problems. The Anson submarine recently returned to Britain after several months at sea during a cruise to Australia.
As part of a joint defense agreement with the United States and Australia, known as AUKUS, Britain is investing in the construction of 12 new nuclear submarines.
At the same time, the navy is building a new generation of Dreadnought-class submarines. They will replace the aging Vanguard-class fleet and will carry the country's nuclear arsenal.
However, the launch of these boats is still years away. Military experts insist that the fastest way to put submarines at sea is to invest in upgrading old repair facilities. The need for this was long overdue, but there was not enough money.
The head of the Navy, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, has made it his top priority to keep the submarines in working order and repair the docks. This will allow for faster maintenance.
The problem may be deeper than just the lack of combat-ready boats, Commander Ramzi warned. Limited time at sea affects crew training.
"If you don't go to sea, you lose critical skills," he added. "If I were the captain of an Astute—class submarine that has been docked for two years, I would be very concerned."
On Saturday, it became known that the aircraft carrier Prince of Wales was forced to enter Norway for repairs — just a few weeks after the start of the cruise of this 3.5 billion ship to high latitudes. A breakdown could disrupt the ship's visit to the United States to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Independence Day in July.
There is also growing concern about the protracted defense investment plan. The program should determine what funds will be spent on the armed forces in the next decade. The plan was supposed to be published last fall, but was stuck in uncertainty due to a funding dispute between the Ministry of Defense and the Treasury.
Industry sources told The Telegraph that the plan is likely to be unveiled next week, possibly as early as Thursday.
The Ministry of Defense said it does not comment on the state of the submarine forces on a regular basis, but assured that British waters "are always protected by a whole arsenal of means." The department's representative added: "Strengthening and maintaining our submarine forces is one of our top priorities, and we are taking decisive action to ensure its long—term sustainability."
